Welcome to the Sightlines podcast from Good Beer Hunting. I’m Jonny Garrett.
Yesterday we released a podcast interview with John Timothy, chief executive of the Portman Group, which is an independent regulator for advertising and marketing in the U.K. alcohol industry.
If you missed it, we recommend giving that a listen before today’s episode, where we’re going to see how the regulatory system the Portman Group has put in place works in the real world. According to my first guest, it doesn’t work at all.
Today you’ll hear from two breweries who have gone through the complaints process more than once. Tiny Rebel Brewing Company first went in front of the complaints panel in 2017 with its award-winning Red Ale, Cwtch. One complainant in a supermarket had written to the Portman Group saying the beer’s bright colors and bear logo appealed to under-18s. The brewery states its case in writing but the panel agreed with the complainant, and suggested several changes to the packaging to avoid the brand potentially being delisted by major stockists.
Tiny Rebel was forced to redesign its best-selling beer at a cost of roughly £30,000. Despite this, just a few weeks ago, the owners found themselves writing to the panel again to defend themselves after a similar complaint from a customer in a supermarket.
It’s the first time in the Portman Group’s 30-year history that a product has been up against the panel twice. In theory it shouldn’t ever happen if the brewery takes the advice in the judgment. Tiny Rebel made major changes to its design, but was it enough? We spoke to Tiny Rebel cofounder Bradley Cummings about the context of the complaint, and how the ruling went.
For added perspective, I also chat to Nick Dwyer, the art director at Beavertown Brewery. Nick has also had several encounters with the Portman Group during his tenure, and shares thoughts about his experiences.
This is the Sightlines podcast—listen in.